Presenter: Tyler Barrett
Mentors: Josh Snodgrass, Anthropology; Chris Chávez, Journalism
Oral Presentation
Majors: Anthropology/Media Studies
Culture change has been linked to heightened psychosocial stress among indigenous populations undergoing political-economic transitions, which increases cardiovascular disease risk. However, little is known about how specific aspects of culture change contribute to this relationship. While shifts in media content and exposure have been implicated as a contributing factor to chronic stress in transitioning populations, the relationship between media and cardiovascular health has not been fully examined in this context. The present study investigates links between a style of life (SOL) scale and blood pressure, as well as associations between television viewing hours and myocardial infarction and stroke among 306 Yakut (Sakha) adults (153 men, 153 women) from Berdygestiakh, Sakha Republic, Russia. After controlling for body composition, smoking, and alcohol consumption, SOL was positively correlated with diastolic blood pressure (DBP) among younger (18-49 years) men (P=0.009) and older (≥ 50 years) women (P=0.028) and showed a negative trend with DBP among older men (P=0.054). Further, greater television viewing hours was associated with an increased likelihood of previously experiencing stroke among older adults (P=0.010) and an increased likelihood of previously experiencing myocardial infarction among older men (P=0.047). The rapid change in television content that occurred alongside post-Soviet privatization makes media a particularly salient aspect of culture change among indigenous Siberians, and the present study suggests it may play a role in cardiovascular risk among the Yakut.